Either way, though, they needed a control so they could track the way the missile components that were behind the shielding plates would react to the onslaught. Today they would conduct that control test.

Martin continued his explanation, “Well, Colonel, for now, we have the standard missile shielding attached to that block. We are going to introduce various reflective and heat resistant materials to it and test their effectiveness, but first we need a point of comparison.” The doctor smiled like a kid. “In other words, Colonel, we need to measure, very accurately, how long it takes this deuterium fluoride laser to utterly destroy these armor plates here.”

With that, he walked around the back of a big a protective glass shield, highly polarized and armored to protect them from the coming test. As they all put on darkened goggles, the scientists began to initiate the laser. It warmed up slowly, taking about thirty seconds to come to life and warm the long, thin gas tube that would stimulate the light emission, the very thing that made a laser a laser.

At a beep, the machine innocently notified the team that it was ready, like an oven saying it had reached the selected temperature. Flicking a switch, the machine thrummed to life, then suddenly a tight green beam bisected the room. The beam lanced into the metal on the concrete block. For about two seconds it stayed still, seemingly pinned by the light, then it buckled sharply with an audible twang. After that nothing happened for about ten more seconds, and then there was another, louder snap like an axe hitting the side of a ship. They felt it through their feet, and a moment later the concrete block behind the plating started to smoke.

The laser was deactivated, its cooling fans whirring, and with a confirming wave from Martin, various scientists began to emerge from behind the shield to check the powerful device. The colonel followed Martin over to the test block and they examined the damage. The smoke had been the concrete burning once the layered shielding had been completely penetrated.

“Dr. Sobleski,” said the colonel in a whisper, “how does this laser compare to the specifications that John gave us for the satellites’ defenses?”

Martin looked at the general and frowned a moment. Then he replied, also in a whisper, but one that belied the gravity of his response, “The best way I can think of to describe it would be to tell you that this deuterium fluoride laser compares to the power we face above us in roughly the same way a CD player’s laser compares to our deuterium friend here.”

The colonel stared at him.